Last Updated on March 3, 2020 by AIFS Abroad Customized Faculty-Led
Buying souvenirs while abroad can add up really quick, I mean who knew selling a magnet for £10 was considered “reasonable”? Although, the prices are steep, everywhere you go there is that draw to get something that will forever remind you of the wonderful memories you had. When I was little all I wanted was stuffed animals or tiny figurines that a couple years down the road ended up in a bag headed to Goodwill because it served no purpose to me anymore and took up so much space. Here are my two favorite souvenirs that are cost effective, don’t take up lots of space, and will remind you of your adventures for years to come!
Post Cards
My holy grail souvenirs. Postcards are cheap and easy to pack for the long journey home. Every time I visit a new place, I find one of those little souvenir shops that are on literally every corner and pick up a few postcards of either the specific things I saw or just beautiful scenery cards. I do this because while my phone’s camera is really high quality, my photography skills are not up to par with what I want. So, for a couple of cents I am able to have photographer level photographs to remember my trip by. Then when I get home, I will put them in order of what I saw, in a photo book which is the lazy way of scrapbooking!
Ornaments
This is dependent of whether or not you celebrate Christmas or have a full-size tree indoors at some point during the year! Ornaments are a souvenir that while can be a more expensive item, can have greater sentimental value than just a postcard. Typically, I reserve buying ornaments that are more generic regarding the trip. So, going to Scotland, I bought a Scotland themed ornament rather than an ornament for every city and site I went to go see. Then every December when I dig out all my decorations, I can look back at the places I’ve been and reflect on the memories I created.
Emma Ulrich is an Marketing Management and Business Communications student at the University of St. Thomas studying abroad in London for Fall 2019. Emma hopes to not only learn about London and the United Kingdom but explore other European cultures and learn more about the world than just little Minnesota. Keep checking back for more of Emma’s blogs here.
